Member's Home Forums General Discussion Mexico Mexico Aeronautical & Regulatory Todos Santos

I've had a long-standing intention to fly down to Todos Santos to visit a friend who has property there. Something or other has gotten in the way of doing this trip until now so I'm currently firming up a plan to head down there. There's a lot to learn about eAPIS and other realities of flying in Mexico these days but I'm finally hot on the trail.

The first question I had was "Do I really need a radio station license for the plane? Reading a recent thread here answered that one. I knew I would need the radio operator's license for my person. That used to cost $5 back when we needed them here in the U.S. I haven't yet checked on current price for the radio operator's license, however in looking at the radio station license for the plane, it appears the FCC wants $165.00! Does that sound right? Maybe I was in the wrong section of the FCC website - that sounds like a charge they might impose for opening up a commercial radio station - not something for a simple VHF comm radio in my plane. Could someone clarify this issue for me please?

Second question. Back when I used to fly into Mexico regularly - in the 70's - after clearing customs and getting the GenDec and filling up with cheap gas in Mexicali, I could file a flight plan to whatever little airstrip I wanted. Nobody expected that it would be "closed". It was just a formality. Usually the second stop was somewhere that sold gas, such as Mazatlan, but from there I could and did file to strips that had no tower or airport personnel at all. No one expected the flight plan would ever be closed nor did I ever expect that, if I didn't show up at the destination, anyone would come looking for me.

How has this changed?

It appears the strip in Todos Santos is not used. My resident friend tells me he's never seen any planes coming in and out so I'm guessing there's a problem landing there. My choices are LaPaz or Cabo it appears but I'm wondering if the airport jefe in LaPaz could authorize me to fly from LaPaz to Todos Santos? Is there some kind of "special permission" available? My Spanish is fairly proficient. I've spent a lot of time living and travelling in Mexico, but none of it is recent other than to TJ for dental work.

I've got a couple reasons for wanting to keep the plane in TS rather than LaPaz. Not only is the strip about five minutes from my friends home, but temps are in the 70's there whereas it's already in the 90's and above in LaPaz and there's no cover available. I've got a composite aircraft and I don't like leaving it out in the sun in those kind of temperatures. When I fly to Vegas I have an arrangement with one of the FBO's to keep it in shade but in La Paz it appears, looking on Google, there's no shade.

Third question. What can I expect to pay for a landing fee in San Felipe and La Paz? I intend to enter Mexico at San Felipe (is that a good idea?) since that suits my range limitations for the trip. I flight plan for a maximum of 600 miles.

That's all my questions for now. I'm sure just about everyone reading this knows the answers to these questions so if anyone has the time to put up with my ignorance I'd appreciate you spending some of it filling me in.

Gracias,

Mike Stirewalt
KSEE

Hello Mike,

Below please find the FCC link to apply for radio operator's license

http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home


For more information on the Regulation and Procedures for GA aircraft radio operator’s licenses please also check the link below:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=licensing&id=aircraft_stations

We are not sure what the current cost of the radio operator's license is.

The Todos Santos airport does not have a valid permit. There are no operations authorized at this airport. The airport remains closed. We recommend using either La Paz or Cabo San Lucas.

San Felipe is a great GA airport to clear customs and immigration at. Current AvGas price is US$4.07 per gallon

For more information on airports in Mexico and international procedures, required documents, fuel prices, weather, Mexico APIS, etc. we recommend you purchase the Pilot’s Guide to Mexico and Central America. With the purchase of the 2013-2015 edition you get a one year free Membership to Caribbean Sky Tours Pilots Association where you can find more valuable information for planning your trip.

To purchase the Pilot’s Guide or sign up for membership please follow this link:

http://shop.caribbeanskytours.com/main.sc

We hope this information is useful.

Best regards,

Caribbean Sky Tours

Mucho Gracias for the links and helpful information, especially confirming that San Felipe is a good idea for a first stop. I will follow up on the suggestions offered.

Thanks,

Mike

PS: What became of Arnold Senterfit's book that he used to publish? I don't see it available anywhere. It focussed just on Baja. Thanks.

Arnold Senterfit's book is no longer published.

Glad to hear the information provided was useful.

Regards,

Reading the various forums, mainly Mooney and AOPA, I encountered the advice from one clever tightwad to take lots of pesos. I regularly go to Tijuana for dental work and nobody uses pesos, at least in the places I go. I think if I pulled out a bunch of pesos people would wonder what's wrong with me.

Is that good advice, to bring pesos? Seems to me using dollars would be sort of a built-in "tip" since the people accepting the american money will know the best local exchange , , , so that gives them a little "extra" and I'm sure is much appreciated. Is taking pesos with us good form these days? Or is it a sign to the Mexican mind that they've got a cheap gringo bastard counting his pennies? It could be a case of being penny wise and pound foolish. And I could be totally wrong. Comments?

Back in the old days it was a smart thing to do - converting dollars to pesos before going down into the interior, or even at the border for that matter . . . but the dollar has become pretty ubiquitous. It's the standard of currency in most of the world, not just Mexico. I'm pretty sure it's why we can get away with printing trillions of worthless dollars that are accepted at face value. But what do I know. I haven't been south of Ensenada since 1979.

Also, someone mentioned Mulege accepts credit cards for fuel and, in fact, is encouraged by DGCA at all the airports since it allows less wiggle room for those along the way to skim some off the top (perhaps another baseless rumor). Is that true? Is credit card (VISA) a viable option? I use Capital One exclusively for offshore purchases since they are the only card I know about that doesn't charge a foreign exchange fee. Unless it's the fuel vendor adding the 3% penalty, with Capital One it's the same as using it at home. No fees. Good card.

Someone mentioned a 3% penalty when buying fuel but I'm wondering if they were talking about the commission the card issuer charges on foreign purchases, or whether it's a local charge the Mexicans impose. What's the scoop on credit cards and fuel down there?

The more I'm reading of the relaxed atmosphere pilots are finding once they cross the border, the more I suspect I'll be able to make some arrangement to keep the plane over at Todos Santos instead of leaving it on the sun-baked oven of La Paz airport.

Also thinking Loreto on the way down and San Felipe on the way back up.

Thanks,

Mike

NEXT DAY:

Well, looks like I'm all wet regarding spending U.S. Dollars in Mexico. People that know what they're doing buy pesos at a good rate and use them for purchases that can't be paid with a credit card. Using a Capital One credit card (or another one - they're still fairly rare. I think the Paypal card is another one that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee) is the best way to pay for anything in Mexico it appears. The conversion is done by the credit card company at the official rate. For those transactions that require cash, it's more economical and normal to use the national currency. So it looks like I almost became a dumb gringo.

ATM's give the best rate in buying pesos - or any foreign currency from what I've experienced in other countries. The ATM should be in a bank or airport or other very reliable place. I'm still researching which Mexican banks will exchange pesos for dollars without charging any fees. As I'm writing this, the official exchange is 18.65 pesos per dollar.